Bigot.
Blackenship, or the ruling, aren't very popular in WV, to put it mildly. Though he didn't 'kill' anyone and didn't intend to it was ultimately his responsibility for the unsafe work environment which led to the death of 29 coal miners.
Safety records were dismal.
"...willful or gross negligence..." Yet Blankenship got away with it. People whose livelihoods depended on mining were less important than the bottom line.
In 2009, the company, Massey Energy, was fined a total of $382,000 for "serious" unrepentant violations for lacking ventilation and proper equipment plans as well as failing to utilize its safety plan properly.[SUP]
[29][/SUP] In the previous month, the authorities cited the mine for 57 safety infractions.[SUP]
[30][/SUP] The mine received two safety citations the day before the explosion, 600 in the preceding 18 months, and 1,342 in the preceding five years. The CEO of Massey Energy,
Don Blankenship, has received criticism for his apparent disregard of safety.[SUP]
[25][/SUP][SUP]
[31][/SUP] The Upper Big Branch Mine-South, where the explosion occurred, has been in operation since October 1994.[SUP]
[32][/SUP] Between 2000 and 2009, two fatalities occurred at this mine.[SUP]
[33][/SUP]
In the previous year, 50 of the safety violations, more than 10%, were categorized as "unwarrantable failures to comply," which indicates willful or gross negligence; this was higher than the 2% national average.[SUP]
[34][/SUP]
According to miners at Massey, many employees knew the Big Branch mine was hazardous; to protect themselves some experienced miners had left in months prior to the explosion.[SUP]
[24][/SUP] One miner said mine officials "buy off judges and have political connections. They disregard safety rules; they get away with it. And most of all they work you to the bone."[SUP]
[24][/SUP] Another miner said “When you work for Massey, you give your life to Massey.[SUP]
[24][/SUP] According to the
World Socialist Web Site, many of the mine's infractions prior to the explosion entailed a sharp increase in coal production.[SUP]
[24][/SUP]